Years Later
by Sam-DaughterOfPoseidon
Summary: What happens when the classy socialite, who had fallen hard for the girl he didn't know he had changed, returns to her? And when he invited her to come stay on his family ranch just as a "friend", will they be able to not get caught kissing?
1. Chapter 1

Chp 1

3 Years Later

I felt my head swirl as I finished up the stock take for the little decor shop I was working in. I had just started my NYU vacation with going back to a bit more work.

I sighed and wiped my brow, sitting down on a stool. Sandy, the old lady who owned the shop, peeped her head out from the back and smiled at me. "Don't worry, we can finish up tomorrow." She said. I gave her a smile and helped close up the store.

I said goodbye and walked towards the beach. The only thing I had on me was my phone in my pocket. As I stepped onto the beach, I smiled. I walked casually down the beach. I thought of how much things had changed.

I had mended things with me family, gotten better in my school work and actually was the valedictorian when I graduated, got accepted to NYU, had some fun with my friends. And it was all because of one night on this beach.

I guess he was much more different from other guys as they are all boys. He is a man, knows how to treat a lady properly. I still can't help feel an ache on my heart as I think of him though.

As much as I want him, he never made an attempt of getting me back. Did I think this all up? How he had actually felt about me? I wanted to forget about him, about how he made my heart ache ever time I came back here.

I stopped walking when I stood in front of his cabin. I sat down and looked out at the sea. But that is past, and I won't see him again. He's just a fairyland.

"I thought I would find you here." I heard a voice say. I felt my breath hitch, my heart beat stop and my head go dizzy at that voice. I knew it all too well. That beautiful, deep, strong voice that had spoken to me one night.

I turned and saw Percy Jackson, standing there. I stumbled to my feet. "What-" I tried saying. He smiled and came closer, his hands in his pockets. "No." I said, trying to blink and see if I wasn't imagining him.

"Something wrong?" He asked, still smiling. I felt like my breath had been taken out my lungs, and I almost started to hyperventilate. He furrowed his eyebrow. "You came back." I said, trying to think this through.

He stood there smiling at me for a second, only a few meters away. I ran forward and he caught me in his arms. "Percy." I said, into his neck. I forgot the anger and pain I had because of him.

"Annabeth." He said. I felt myself snap out of my shock and suddenly smack his arm. "You left for three years and didn't bother calling or visiting? And then you come back with open arms, just expecting me to come back?"

I felt a sob of anger catch in my throat. He pulled me into his arms, holding me till I calmed down. He unlocked his cabin and let me come in. He handed me a glass of water. Sitting on the bed, trying to figure this out.

He sat in front of me. "Annabeth." He said, as I out my glass down. "You've grown, so much." He touched my cheek and I felt a pang as I remembered his touch. "Did you figure out what you wanted to do?" He asked.

"I'm studying architecture." I said. "You know, you changed me. After you left I set my priorities straight. I learnt how much I love architecture and I started talking to my family again." He smiled.

"I missed you." He said, cupping my cheek. He leaned in and kissed me. I returned it, cupping his cheek. He kissed me, and I felt something mend in me.

In the later afternoon, we lay on his bed, his chest against my back and his arm slung over my waist. "Annabeth, I want my parents to meet you." He said. I felt my heart stop a little. I turned in his arms.

"Percy, are you mad?" I asked. "Your mother won't like me. I'm not like your family, who are all wealthy." He shook his head. "My dad is very wealthy. My mom still gets money from him though. She's married to my step dad, Paul and they are very level headed." He explained.

I bit my lip and he chuckled. "You're cute when you do that." He said, kissing my jaw line. "Please Annabeth. I've told them so much about you." He said. I smirked and said, "I'm not even your girlfriend. I'm just a friend, with a small benefit."

He smirked. "Fine, you can come as my friend." He said. He leaned in to kiss me but I stopped his lips with my finger. "Which means you won't be allowed to kiss me and hugs are only allowed to be two seconds long." I said.

He was quite for a bit then sighed. "Okay," he said. "I'm going to have to make up all the missed kissing time now then." He said, while smiling and then kissed me. I smiled against his lips, cupping his cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

Chp 2

Percys POV

I walked out the house and was walking towards the porch steps when my grand dad and parents stopped me. "So were meeting your friend today?" My grand father, My dad's dad, asked while he smiled at me.

I looked at the three as they drank their coffee and tea on the outside couch. "Yeah, but she's just my friend." I said. Paul smirked. "Who you have told us so much about." He said. They all laughed at my slightly red face.

"And you said she is nice, not in live with your wealth?" My mother asked, still afraid my friend only liked me for my money. I smiled at her. "She's extremely level headed, trust me. You'll love her." I said, then waved and went to my car to pick her up.

I drove to Montauk, and picked her up outside the shop she worked at. We had decided a week after I arrived, she would meet my parents and grandfather and stay on the ranch with us for the two month vacation.

She was wearing a pretty lace summer dress, with black pumps and her hair in a bun. I put her bag of clothes in my boot and opened her door for her. She looked nervous, so I chuckled. "Don't worry, they'll love you." I reassured her. She took a deep breath and nodded.

When we got to the ranch, I stopped the car and helped her out. I decided to go get her bags after I had shown her around. As we walked to the big farm house, she smiled. "Oh wow." She said, and studied the house.

"You know, I have to start a new project and they said it has to be country base house. And this, is just amazing." She said. I had noticed my parents and grandfather ride up on their horses, dismount them and were watching us from behind. "Thank you, it's our family house." My grandfather said.

She turned and smiled at them. "Mom, Paul, Grand dad, I want you to meet my friend Annabeth. Annabeth, meet my mom Sally, my step dad Paul and my grandfather Marcus." They all shook her hand.

"Oh, please come in. Would you like some tea or coffee?" My mom offered. "Coffee please." She said, smiling at my mom. My mom went to go make everyone tea and coffee, and Annabeth offered her help. So they went off inside and I sat on the porch with Paul and my grand dad.

"She's real pretty." Mark said, smiling at me. "I'm surprised you aren't dating her." Paul said, smirking, I rolled my eyes and sat back on the two seater couch. "As I said, she's just my friend."

Mom and Ann came back with the tea and coffee and biscuits. Annabeth sat next to me and handed me my coffee. When everyone had their drink, mom asked, "So when did you two meet?"

I looked at Annabeth. "Three years ago." I said. "How?" Mark asked. "Percy had come down for his second varsity vacation, and I worked in a shop in Montauk. He would always come passed and say hello." She said, changing how we met properly a bit.

"And what are you studying?" Paul asked, interested teacher side coming out, "Architecture. At NYU." She said, smiling. They all talked for a while, asked her about her family and what not.

"Well I am going to show Annabeth around the ranch a bit, and we'll be back for tea." I said, standing up. I offered her my hand and helped her up. "See you later." Mom called, winking at me.

I walked around with Annabeth, showing her the barn and the stables. I showed her to my favorite tree, where I had had my tree house when I was young. We were out of view from any of the workers on the farm and my family.

She stood, her back against the tree, and I stood in front of her, my one arm at the side of her head, holding me up. "Not so bad, is it?" I joked. She laughed and smiled at me. She cupped my cheek, and kissed me very lightly. She pulled away but I moved forward.

"Only friends." She teased, her finger on my lips. I groaned. "Annabeth!" I moaned, into her neck. "Not my problem." She said. I kissed her collarbone, and sent little kisses up her neck. "There's no one around." I said.

She laughed. I continued to kiss her jawline, and she tried to protest by saying, "Someone could see us." I pulled away, and looked her in the eye. "So you dont want to kiss me?" I asked.

"Of course I do, but not with people around that think we're just friends." She said. I sighed and moved away from her. "Right, just friends." I said, looking towards the farm house. She came up behind me and kissed my shoulder.

We made our way to my car to get her things. I lay on my back on the couch as I tried to think out places we could be alone together. "Hey sport." Paul said, sitting in the chair next to me on the porch.

"So you two kiss or something?" He asked, I looked at him, with a raised eyebrow. "Just friends." I reminded him. "You say that, but the way you look at her is saying another thing." He said, shrugging.

"Well I like her, but as a friend." I said. He sighed and shrugged. "Fine." He said. We all had dinner in the house, and went to bed early. Ann's bedroom was next to mine, so I tried to think how this could work.


	3. Chapter 3

Chp 3

I got up to the smell of freshly made pancakes. This was my third week of being here. We had been really cautious so far, not being seen in public, only the occasional kiss when we were alone. Most of the past few weeks have been done talking with his family, getting to know them, stuff like that.

I got dressed into shorts, a turquoise batwing top and my vans. I went downstairs, and saw Sally cooking pancakes at the stove. Mark and Paul were at the table, each with a plate of pancakes.

"Morning Annabeth." Mark said, smiling at me. I smiled back, and greeted them. "Sorry Annabeth, do you mind getting Percy up?" Sally asked, a slight smirk on her face. "Sure." I said, gave them a smile and went up to his room.

I went inside his room, closing his door behind me. "Percy?" I said softly, leaning against the side of he bed. He opened his eys and smiled lazily at me. "Breakfast is ready." He nodded and sat up I sat on the edge of his bed, next to him.

He pulled me into his lap, and kissed my nose. "Morning kiss?" He asked. I smiled and kissed him. He pulled me closer to him with his hand, cupping my cheek. He kissed my neck, but I managed to say, "If I take so long, they might suspect something."

He sighed and I got up. I left him to get dressed and went downstairs. I made sure I looked decent, not with my clothes shifted. "Sorry, he was refusing to get up." They all looked among one another but didn't say anything.

Percy soon came down, and sat next to me. "Annabeth." Paul said, as I helped collect the plates. "Have you ever gone horse riding?" I put the dishes in the dishwasher and said, "No, always wanted to though."

"Well that's great! Percy is really good at it! He could show you." Sally said, closing the dishwasher and turning it on. "Funny he never mentioned that to me." I said, looking at Percy. He shrugged.

"Well John has just finished grooming them, Blackjack has been dying for you to ride him." Mark said. Percy stood up and said, "Well let's go then!" I smiled at them and went with Percy to the stables.

We went inside, and Percy went straight to one of the stables. A midnight black horse stuck it's head out and Percy stroked it. "Blackjack, meet Annabeth. Annabeth, Blackjack!" He said, proudly.

I stroked the big horses head, and he snorted. We both laughed. Percy opened the stable door and let Blackjack out into the field. He put a towel, or blanket on Blackjacks back and got on.

He held out his hand. "Percy." I said, uneasily as I looked at the big horse. "Trust me, it'll be fine." He said. I took his hand and he pulled me up. I sat in front of him, my back agains his chest.

He had put the reigns on so it would be easier for me. We started on a slow trot, then a canter, then a gallop. I enjoyed it a lot. "Having fun?" He asked, smiling. I chuckled and we rode around the front of the house area.

~Line break~

Sally's POV

I walked out the house as I was called by Paul and Mark. I smiled as I saw Percy and Annabeth riding. She was laughing and he was smiling at her. He went back to a canter, and leaned down to say something in her ear.

She laughed and smiled up at him. He looked our direction and laughed. He had his hands by her waist, as he held on the reigns. I smiled at them. My little boy was now a young adult. He was twenty three and she was-

Wait, how old is she? She looked a bit younger than him. I decided not to worry about it as he was happy. He got off Blackjack, and helped her off as well. They stayed in one position, with his hands on her waist, for a little while after before remembering they had spectators.

They walked back to the stables with Blackjack. "He's no longer a little boy Sally." Mark said, looking at me as I watched them. "I know, it's just feels different to see him with a girl he likes." I said.

Annabeth came walking with Percy, them both laughing. We all moved away as we watched them come nearer to the house. Annabeth went upstairs as Percy got out a little basket.

"I'm going to show Ann the lake, we'll have a bit of lunch there so don't worry about us for lunch." He said. "You like her don't you." I said, nudging him. He laughed and shook his head. "Mom." He said.

I held my hands up in surrender, and we both laughed. "I'm just being a mother." I said, and smiled at him. He smiled and kissed my cheek. Annabeth came down and smiled at us. Percy grabbed the basket that had a blanket, sandwiches, cool drinks and a box of strawberries. "See you later." He said, smiled at me, then went off with her,


	4. Chapter 4

Chp 4

I smiled as I showed Annabeth to the lake. By he time we were halfway there and out of sight, I intertwined our fingers. She smiled at me and gave my hand a little squeeze.

When we got to the lake she smiled, and pushed her sunglasses up to see it properly. "Oh my word, this is stunning." She said, look at the lake and oak trees. I put the blanket out under one of the trees in the shade and sat down.

She sat down next to me, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm not that hungry now, maybe eat a little later." She said. She pulled her top off, her bikini under it. She'd tied her hair up in a messy bun.

I pulled my top off and took my shoes off, left in my board shorts. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind and kissed the top of her head. "The water looks lovely." I said, looking out on the lake I had last swam in when I was eighteen.

She took my hand in hers, and turned to face me with a smirk. "Well then lets test the water." She said, walking backwards towards the water. I smirked and grabbed her around the waist. She laughed, such a pure laugh full of happiness, and I pulled her towards the water.

I dunked her with me, and we both came up spluttering and laughing. We ran around the lake, splashing water at each other. We both laughed the whole time. I soon caught her by the waist and pulled her towards me with her thigh.

When we stopped spinning, she had her legs wrapped around my waist. She stared into my eyes, a smile on her face. we held our eye contact as she slid down to a standing position. She had her arms slung casually around my neck and I had my hands on her waist.

"Mr Jackson, I have to say you brig out the best in me." She said, with a British accent. We both chuckled. I looked at her lips, as we put our foreheads together. She leaned in and kissed me, making my head swirl and my mind go back to when I was eighteen.

We kissed for a while longer, then broke apart. She cupped my cheek, and smiled at me. "When did I get so lucky?" She said. I smiled at her. She laced our fingers again and we walked to the picnic basket. I propped myself up on my elbow and she lay on her stomach while we ate our food, talking.

She smiled as we both sipped on our cokes. I pulled out our desert, strawberries. We each had six, till there was only one left. We both stared at the juicy berry, both wanting it.

"You can have it." She said, sighing. I looked at it for a bit then took it. I put one end in my mouth and pulled her towards me. Our lips met, biting the strawberry in half. She smiled, and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Best strawberry ever." I said, then kissed her nose.

I sat up with my back against the tree, and her head in my lap. She played with my fingers, as I watched he sun filter in through the leaves of the big tree and how it made the lake shimmer.

"Although being just friends seems like it gives being secretive a thrill, "she started to say, "I want to be more than that." I smiled down at her. "More than the friends with benefits?" I teased.

She laughed, and didn't say any more of it. I ran my fingers through her hair, and she closed her eyes. She looked so peaceful. So caring. So young. I had that feeling, where I was sure I wanted to wake up to her face every morning,

I wanted to hold her close whenever I could, not be secretive. "Annabeth." I said, absentmindedly. She opened her eyes and looked up at me. I smiled down at her, and kissed her forehead.

She sat up, and I pulled her into my lap. She kissed me, cupping my cheek. I kissed her back, openmouthed kisses. They were slow, sweet, making the temperature rise in the atmosphere.

She tangled her fingers in my hair as I ran my hand up and down her back. "Percy," Annabeth said, as I kissed her neck. "We should go back to the farm house." I pulled away and she got up, helping me pack up everything and pulling her shirt back over her head.

We went back to the farm house. "I'm going to have a little nap." She said. I nodded and packed away the basket and blanket. I went and had a walk around the ranch. It was truly beautiful.

I passed the stables, and noticed my parents and grandfather out side them. They all looked up, noticing me and smiled. "You never told me you two were dating." My mom said, smiling at me.

"Because we aren't." I said, walking over and standing by them. "So what, friend with a benefit?" Paul asked. Mom smacked his arm and he chuckled. "Well?" My grand dad asked, edging for me to spill.

"We aren't." I said. "But you like her." Mom said. "And she likes him." Paul said, looking at my mom. "And so why do you deny it?" My grandfather asked. "We aren't dating!" I said, throwing my hands up.

"Okay." Paul said, getting back to his lunch. "Just friends with benefits." He said. I groaned and left them. How much longer can I keep this up?


	5. Chapter 5

Chp 5

I smiled as I watched Percy ride Blackjack with his grand dad in another horse next to him. I had been washing my hands, and had gotten lost in watching as he joyfully rode along side his family.

"Everything alright dear?" Sally said, breaking me out my day dream. I jolted and quickly dried my hands. "Yes, all fine." I said, smiling at her. She peeped out the window and smiled as she saw Percy riding.

"Come, let's gave a talk." She said. We walked and sat on the porch steps together. "You know, Percy told me when he was eighteennd used to come here as much as possible, that one day he would bring just the right girl to the ranch. She would be the only one he would ever have to take." She said, rubbing her hands together.

"And you are her." She said, smiling at me. I watched as. Percy smiled as her rode his horse. "What do you think of Percy?" Sally asked. I looked at Percy, trying to think what to say.

"He's kind, sweet, funny, makes me smile. He changed me." I said, as I stared, mesmerized at his strong athletic form. "He takes my breath away. He's- indescribable." I said, forgetting who I was talking to, just to mesmerized to think of where I even was,

"When I met him, I wasn't in the best of places, but he made me realize that things can be different." I said. I blinked myself back to reality, and turned to see her smiling at me. "You like him." She said. I bit my lip and nodded.

She chuckled and said, "Well he likes you too." From then on, I felt like I didn't need to hide our relationship. That she liked me and was happy to have me around.

Percy caught me looking at him and winked. I smiled at him. "Sally." I said, then looked at her. "Percy and I haven't officially been dating, but he want to change that." She nodded and looked back to Percy.

"And you don't want to?" She asked. "I do, but Percy leaves for Yale in a month. I'm going to be here, and only see him when he comes back for his next vacation." I said, sighing.

"And I dont want to tie him done if he meets someone else there." She smiled at me. "You'd be surprised how loyal he is. And in any case, you're only an hour and a half drive away from each other." She said.

I sighed and said, "It's just that much too far for me." She smiled and patted my hand, then left me to think about it. When Percy was done I watched as he and went with Mark to go let the horse rest. I sighed, knowing that this vacation is coming to an end.


	6. Chapter 6

Chp 6

I walked to the lake and sat down to try and think things through. We had a week and a few days left before he had to go back. I sighed, resting my chin on my knees as I pulled them to my chest.

I tried thinking, the sound of birds chirping and the light breeze rustling the leaves. "I thought I'd find you here." I heard him say. I closed my eyes and sighed. He sat down next to me and said, "What's up?"

I looked at him, like 'are you serious?' kind of look. "We need to talk." I said. "I know where this is going." He said, sighing as he ran his fingers through his hair. He pulled me into his lap, and smiled at me. "I want to call you mine, Annabeth. Please, be my girlfriend." He said.

"Percy." I groaned, putting my head on his shoulder then looking back at him. He furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "I so want to Percy, but we can't." I said. "Why not? There isn't anyone opposing it." He protested, taking my hands in his.

"I am, I'm opposing." I said. "So you never wanted us?" He asked. I groaned again, him not getting it. "Look, I love you so much and I want to make this work. But you are going to leave again, and then this becomes a long term relationship. And when you get into thinking that, then it hurts even more when you go."

"So don't stick to me." I said, holding his hands. "Don't let me hold you back from your dreams, from where you want to live. From what you want." I said. He took my hands in his and said, "Annabeth, can't you see I want you?"

"Percy." I said, feeling tears prickling at my eyes. "This was just a summer thing, you aren't going to get pulled down by me. I won't let you. He shook his head, being too stubborn to listen to me. "You're so much more than that."

I let out a little sob, but he kissed me. I kissed back, trying to keep hold of myself. "We have till the end of next week." He said against my lips. I shook my head.

He pulled away and pushed my hair out my face. "Don't cry." He said wiping at my eyes. He kissed my forehead and stood up. "I have to go meet my grand dad at the stables, you wanna come with?" He offered. "No it's fine, go spend time with your family."

He smiled, gave me a last kiss and left. I sighed, and leaned against the tree. Is this what it felt like? A summer love?


	7. Chapter 7

Chp 7

Annabeth had distanced herself a bit from me in our last week together. But I was only at college another three months then I come home. But I really wanted to try think of a future for us.

So when I caught her walking down the passage my way, I knew I needed to talk to her. I had just come up the big staircase and she was just closing her door. She quickly turned and opened her door again.

I quickly went into her room with her and closed the door, locking it behind me. "Ever heard of privacy?" She asked, running her fingers through as she walked toward her big window.

"Annabeth, why are you avoiding me?" I asked, coming up behind her. She turned and said, "Percy." She walked towards her bed side, but I followed her. "And turn when you see me coming your direction?" I asked.

She squeezed past me and stood in front of he closed bathroom door. "Annabeth." I said, standing in front of her and closing off all pathways of escape. She sighed, staring into my eyes. I quickly cupped her cheek and pulled her lips to mine.

I waited for her to kiss back, and soon she did. She kissed back, cupping my cheek. She had her back against the door and I had my one hand holding me up by the side of her head.

She put her hand behind my head, pulling me closer to her. I pulled her up, so her legs were wrapped around my waist. I held her up, and moved to her double bed. I lay her down on her back, her legs still around my waist.

We kicked our shoes off as we continued to kiss. I kissed her neck, my one hand on her thigh and the other behind her head. She kissed me again, and I fell even more in love with her.

Her dress's skirt had hitched up to her hips now and my top was all rumpled. I felt her move her head to catch her breath. I did the same. When we had recovered, she looked up at me. I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"See how easily you make me fall under you." She said, making me smile. "And you know why I love you? Because you are so you. Not somebody else." I said.

"Percy." She said, sitting up and pulling her legs to her chest. "I don't want you to stick with me. If you do, I'll be sad." She said, sighing. "You say that like it hurts to love me." I said, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Look, I want to be with you but were both still young. Maybe you'll meet some big socialite that fits with you and I'll meet a guy that is studying teaching or whatever and then one of us will have to say something to the other." She said.

I sighed and looked her in the eyes. "I'm breaking inside right now. Really bad." I said, biting my lip. She chuckled and smiled at me. "And if in a couple years, you still wanna be with me, then we'll find each other and make this work." I sighed but agreed to her terms, although it hurt so much.


	8. Chapter 8

Chp 8

Five years later...

I flew to New York, on business, from Miami. We were going to be building a new building for our company, and moving to New York. Although I had only been working at this company for five years, I got a promotion after my first year and am now one of the senior marine biologist at our company.

"Percy!" My work colleague, Martin, said as he greeted me as I arrived at the building the architect was meeting us at. There were five us here, me, Martin, Randy, Cindy and Liam. We kept joking with Cindy as she was the only girl here with us.

"So when does the architect get here?" Liam asked, sipping his coffee. "Um, she gets here-" Cindy said, checking her papers. "In a few minutes. Her name is Annabeth Chase." She said, and smiled at us.

I blinked a couple times, then smiled. "So you won't be the only girl." Randy said, chuckling. The elevator dinged open and in came my first real love, Annabeth Chase.

She was wearing a fancy dress with platform heels and her hair in a messy bun. I stood up and went over to greet her. "Hello. You must be the architect, Ms. Chase?" I said, smirking at her.

She lifted her head up and said, "Yes. And you are Mr Percy Jackson." She said, shaking my hand. "And how have you heard of me?" I asked. She raised an eyebrow and said, "In the San Francisco economics, your fathers name is pretty familiar."

I nodded and introduced her to the team. She had a young girl standing to her left, who looked kind if nervous. "Hi, and you are?" I asked stretching out my hand to her. She looked at Annabeth her chuckled. "Sorry, she's an intern, very quiet. She came with me to learn how to deal with clients." She explained.

I shook her hand and we all went into the conference room. She explained how it would look, where it would be stationed and what not. I couldn't stop staring at her. She would glance at me every now and then.

We all closed the deal and went off to where ever. I caught up with Annabeth as she left the building. "Can we talk?" I asked her. She smirked at me and said, "If you can follow." I was confused until she got in her car.

I jumped in my car and followed her. I soon recognized the road. It takes you to Montauk.

When we got there she got out her car and leaned against it. "What are you waiting for?" She asked, her eyebrow raised. "Get your keys out for your cabin." She said. I chuckled and got my bag out, getting my keys.

She took off her heels and walked with me down the beach. She just reached my shoulder now. I smirked, which she noticed. "What?" She asked, looking at me as we walked. "I forgot how much taller I was to you." I said, smiling.

She rolled her eyes and carried on walking. When we got there, I unlocked the cabin and went in. I left the door open, allowing the sea breeze to cool out the place. I put my bags down and she sat on the edge of my bed, letting her hair loose and running her hands through it.

I took my shoes off and my tie. I walked back to her as I unbuttoned my shirt, getting out the hot clothes. It was mid afternoon, the sun nearing the horizon. "Well you invited me and you haven't said a word yet." She teased.

I went and stood in front of her. "Nice to meet you? Are you serious?" I asked. She shrugged smiling. "I'm here on business, not to get into a relationship." I raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. "Oh, okay." I said, walking back to my closet.

"What did you expect?" She asked, getting up and walking to wear I was hanging my shirt up in my closet. "For me to welcome you with open arms?" I didn't say anything, just pulled Ina casual top. I took off my hot jeans and changed into board shorts.

I walked to the front door, and turned to look at her. She was still leaning against the closet. "Honestly, I don't know. Just not this." I then walked onto the beach, towards the sea. "Percy." She said, catching up to me.

"I was just joking." She said. I ignored it, but I was still annoyed that she was treating me like I was a stranger. I sat down and looked out at the sea. She sat next to me. "But still, you couldn't have expected that I would-" she started, but I interrupted. "No, I couldn't of. But I've been waiting five freaking years to see you again and I'm just a stranger to you."

She looked at me. "I asked you to go out and enjoy life before deciding wether you wanted to still be with me." I looked at her. "I tried Annabeth, I dated three different girls p, but the problems was they weren't you."

She looked at me and I just said, "And I'm sure by the way you were so eager to get rid of me, you got a couple boyfriends and what not." She looked back to the sea. "Two. One turned out to be a wimp and the other moved to London, offered for me to come with but I said no."

I took a deep breath, smelling the sea salt. "You know how hard it is to come back here? To keep distance for your sake?" I asked. She looked at me and I looked at her. "You were definitely the first girl to break my heart."

She didn't say anything, she wouldn't meet my eyes. I stood up and walked to the cabin. "I'm gonna get a drink." I said. As I got out two beers and poured them into glasses, I sighed. I was itching to have her at my side, in my arms and happy.

She came in, tying her hair into another messy bun. I handed her the beer and she chuckled. "You offered me a drink the first time we came here." She said, smiling at me. I smiled and took a sip of the beer.

I went over to my bags and closet and started packing away my clothes. "Not staying on the ranch?" She asked. I shook my head. "Grand dad went to go visit an old friend of his in Tennessee and mom said she would go with Paul to some wedding. I'll go there in a week when they're back."

She nodded and put her drink down. She leaned against my cupboard and watched as I packed the things away. As I was hanging up a shirt, I looked at her. "What?" I asked. "Just interesting, you haven't changed much. Besides getting a bit taller." She said, smiling.

"And you've obviously changed a lot." I said. She but her lip and sighed. "Not really." She said. "Your confidence?" I asked her, but she shrugged. "I wanted to see if you actually remembered the girl who worked in the decor shop that you met when you were twenty. Otherwise, still my self conscious and guarded girl in front of strangers."

I hung my shirt up and looked at her for a moment. I found myself stepping forward and cupping her face, then my lips on hers. I rested my other hand on her waist. She kissed me back, her hand on my cheek. She had her back against the cupboard.

I pulled away and looked at her. "I'm still waiting, are you?" I asked. She opened her mouth then closed it, not being able to say anything. I smirked and stepped away, going to the kitchen counter where I had my drink.

"Um, I-" she started saying as she slowly made her way back to the kitchen. "I left you speechless because you forgot how great it was when we kissed? Thought so, due to your need to want me to suffer as you pretended I was a stranger." I said.

She rubbed her temple then leaned against the counter on the other side of the island I was standing at. "We actually shouldn't even be-" she said, but I interrupted. "Wow, want to get rid of me again?" I said, raising an eyebrow and sipping my drink.

"Percy! Will you listen?" She asked, looking slightly angry now. I sighed and waited for her to continue. "I shouldn't even be with you outside of business as that's not how it works. You are here for work related stuff and I am just supposed to be doing my job, not making out with my client."

I looked at her, and she sighed. "You don't get it, do you?" I asked, my voice soft. She looked right back, and sighed. "You know, you made me wait five years to see you again and now that you are with me, you are trying to find reasons to get away."

She but her lip and rested a hand on her forehead. "And this isn't work related." I said, judging by the way she was acting. She looked up when I said that, slightly nervous. "What happened?" I asked her.

She shook her head and paced the area behind my island. "Annabeth, you had a bad experience with relationships and that's why you didn't want to go out with me as you knew I really liked you."

She shook her head. "Annabeth." I said, getting up and stopping her from lacing. I had my hands on her forearms, stopping her from continuing to pace. "Please, I need to know." I said. She hesitated then took a couple steps forwards.

"My first boyfriend." She said, looking at where the sun was streaming through the windows onto the floor. "I was thirteen, but I met him when I was eight. I had always liked him, but he was three years older than me."

I leaned against the counter, listening to her. "His name was Luke, he was always happy and was never un kind to people, unless they were jocks trying to hurt one of his friends."

"When I was fifteen I caught him behind the school building with some people I didn't know. Turned out he was a junkie." She said. She let out a breath of hair and shook her head. "We parted, he graduated, and he died the following year." I bit my lip, trying to think of something to say.

"That's when I learnt that there weren't such nice people out there, and the. I bad ame guarded. That's why when I started to like you I tried pushing you away because I couldn't stand getting hurt again." She said, looking me in the eye.

I sighed than pulled her into my arms. She shook her head, her face in my chest. After a while she pulled away and wiped her eyes. "I better go, I've got dinner with a friend." She said. She grabbed her phone and shoes and walked out the door. I rubbed my eyes, trying to think all this through.


	9. Chapter 9

Chp 9

I sighed as I put my shoes on and got in my car. I drove to Piper and Jason's house, as I was having dinner by them. When I got there, I parked my car and rang their bell. I waited a bit then Jason answered the door.

"Hi Annabeth." He said, giving me a hug. I smiled at him and said, "I just want to change out of work clothes." He nodded and went inside. I got a bag from my car and went inside, closing the door behind me.

I went to their bathroom and changed out my work clothes and into my jeans, boots and a long sleev top. I put my bag by the front door and went to the lounge. Piper was sitting with their little girl, who was a couple months old now.

"Hey Pipes!" I said, and gave her a hug. I sat down on the floor, leaning against the couch and took their little girl. "Hello Kayla! How are you my love?" I asked, smiling at her. She squealed and smiled at me. I chuckled and looked up at Piper.

"She's so beautiful Pipes." I said, smiling at her. She smiled back and stroked the head of her little girl. Jason came in, a towel over his shoulder and a spoon in his hand. "Where is the thyme?" He asked. Piper laughed and said, "Next to the cinnamon, on the middle shelf."

He smiled and went back. She smiled and wiped her brow. "We found out that he's really good at cooking." She said, laughing. I put Kayla on her blanket and leave her to fiddle with her toys. "So how was your meeting with your clients today?" She asked.

I sighed. "Successful, but I saw someone I knew." I said. "Who?" she asked. "Percy." She knew about him, I told her about him. About everything. She bit her lip and said, "Was that why you were late?" I nodded, running a hand up through my hair.

"And? What happened?" She asked, interested. "He wanted to talk so I went with him to his beach house in Montauk. I wanted to see if he expected me to just want him back. He did, so I joked with him and he got all upset and stuff. Not much really." I said, remembering our talk.

"But I thought you liked him?" She said, slumping a bit. "I do, it's just," I tried to think of the words but Jason called us for dinner. He had made a lasagne. I sat down, Kayla next to Jason in her high chair.

"So Annabeth, when are you getti married?" He joked, smiling at me from across the table. I laughed and shook my head. He poured me a glass of wine and handed it to me. "Funny joke." I said, tasting some of the meal. It was Devine.

"But I thought you liked that guy, what was his name?" He asked, passing the salad. "Percy Jackson, yet she keeps rejecting his offer to date her." Piper said, shaking her head. Jason stopped and furrowed his brow.

"Percy Jackson?" He asked. I nodded, and raised an eyebrow at him. "I know him, he's a friend of mine. He was actually in my dorm room. He always talked about a girl, never really thought of it till now." He said.

I gaped at him. "You know Percy?" I asked, unbelievingly. He smirked and said, "You wouldn't believe how much he told me about the girl he spent his vacation with on his parents ranch." He said, then ate his food.

I blushed, looking down at my food and ate in silence. "Well, I was younger then, and I am older now." I said, as I helped take the plates away. "Still happened." He said, packing the things away. "Jason." Piper said, warningly. I stuck my tongue out at him and left the kitchen.

I sat down with Piper in the lounge, and watched as she played with Kayla. I guess I kind of wanted to have a family, but most girls do anyway. But I have other things to worry about besides some guy. Piper handed her daughter to me and I rocked her in my arms.

I smiled down at the little girl, tickling her tummy and stroking her cheek. I looked up and saw Piper smiling at me. "You're going to be an amazing mom some day." She said. I rolled my eyes and put Kayla in her little crib to sleep. "Piper, technically I am not having a child till I'm married. And I don't even have a boyfriend so not any time soon."

We all chatted a little while longer than I left them to enjoy their evening. I went back to my penthouse and has a shower. When I got in bed, I was thinking of Percy. I pushed all thoughts of him away, and went to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chp 10

I walked down the path in Central Park. I had been thinking about Annabeth a lot since I saw her two weeks before. I saw a couple walking towards me with a stroller. They were on the same path. But the guy looked familiar.

When I got closer I recognized him more. "Jason Grace, well I never." I said, as they came two meters away. He smiled at me and we had a friendly hug. "Funny I see you here. I thought your business was up in Miami?" He said. I chuckled and said, "We're moving here."

He chuckled and said, "I want you to meet my wife, Piper, and our daughter Kayla." He said, putting his arm around her waist. She smiled and shook my hand. "So you're the famous Piper McLean- sorry, Grace that we heard about till our eardrums burst." I said, smiling at her. She laughed and said, "And you must be the famous Percy." She smirked at Jason, who raised his hands in surrender.

"Not every day you have a down to earth millionaire friend!" He protested, jokingly. I laughed and looked at their little girl. I tickled her tummy and she laughed. "Congrats." I said, smiling at them.

"So you ever see that girl you liked again?" He asked me. I chuckled. "I actually saw her the other day, but she said she had problems with her first relationship and stuff, and then had to go to a dinner with friends." I said.

"What was her name?" Piper asked, smiling at me. "Annabeth Chase." I said, imagining her as I said her name. "No way! She's my best friend! We were actually there when she had her first boyfriend. And we were the ones she went to dinner with." She said, chuckling.

"Are you serious?" I asked, unbelievingly. "Yeah. Maybe we could set some dinner up for you guys. Secretly of course." She said, smiling wide. Jason raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed. "What? I've been trying to get her abou friend forever and she really likes him!" She protested. I felt all tingly when she said that.

"Fine, but this was all your idea." He said, sighing. She smiled at me and said, "I will arrange a dinner at a restaurant and tell you the date she is free." I furrowed my eyebrows. "But she will decline if she knows it's me asking." She thought for a bit then said, "I'll say we're going out for a girls night or whatever."

I said goodbye and they went on their way. I felt so excited. I was actually going to have dinner with her.

~Line Break~

Annabeth's POV

I stepped out the cab and went into the restaurant. "Reservations for Mrs Grace." I said to the man. He smiled and nodded. He showed me to a table on the right of the fancy restaurant. I wondered why she had picked such a fancy restaurant, but I guess we hadn't gone out since Kayla was born.

I thanked the man and he went off. "Pipes, I'm surprised at the restaurant you picked." I said, smiling as I sat down at the table. As she brought down the menu that she had been reading, which happened to cover her face, I realized it wasn't her at all.

"You look beautiful as always Ms. Chase." Percy said, smiling at me. I had worn a pair of platform heels and a blue dress that went to just above my knees. I had my hair in a fancy bun as well. "Not bad yourself, although I was expecting to see someone else." I said, keeping the eye contact.

I sat down, and looked at him from across the small table. "Percy, remember what I said about keeping this a business relationship?" I asked, as I looked at him. "Apparently it went through one ear and out the other." He said, his facial expression staying the same. I cracked a smile and shook my head at him.

"Well this isn't a date." I said, laying my napkin on my lap. "Why not?" He asked. "Because we aren't dating." I answered. He smirked and said, "I'm working on that." I looked up from my menu and saw him smirking at me. I rolled my eyes and said, "Do you become cocky in public or something?" I asked, reading through the menu.

He shrugged and poured red wine into my glass. "No, I'm just telling the truth." He said, and put the bottle back in the ice bucket. We both ordered our food and sat to wait for it. We were silent, just staring at each other from across the table. "You know I'm not giving up." He said.

"On what?" I took a sip of the wine and waited for his answer. "On you." He said. I sighed and looked around the restaurant. There were a couple famous people here, and people who basically ran the economy and stuff. "So what, you come here and see all your fathers allies?"

He shrugged. "I know them and stuff, but I also feel their eyes on me. They'll report anything to my father if they see me around. He has his employees and stuff." I let out a breath and shook my head. "And they'll go and report to your father that you were seen having dinner with a girl that doesn't have a big daddy that owns some big company or share."

He groaned. "Annabeth, I don't care who sees me with you. I want everyone to know how much I want you." He said. "I can see the headline. Businessmens handsome son seen with unknown girl." I said, talking in the tone of some reporter.

He chuckled and said, "You don't get it. I'm not like that. Yeah, I got money and stuff but I don't want to date some Brazilian model or whatever. I want to date you." The food arrived and we ate in silence. He payed for the bill and we made our way through the restaurant to the front.

"You need a ride home?" He asked. "I'll take a cab." I said, and sent him a smile. "No, I'll take you home." He said. He insisted, and wasn't taking no for an answer, so I agreed.

When he dropped me off, he was going to get out but I put my hand on his as he reached for his seat belt buckle. "Don't walk me in, that will end up having good night kisses and me aren't dating." I said. He sighed and searched my eyes for anything that would make me let him come in. I kissed his cheek and said, "Thank you for dinner. I will see you soon." I then got out his car and felt his eyes on my back till I was inside.


	11. Chapter 11

Chp 11

I parked my car in the car park at Montauk. I decided to go for an afternoon walk, just to clear my mind. I went towards the little town and saw the old shop I worked at. Mrs Margie, the shop owner, was inside sitting at the counter.

I decided to pop my head in and say hello. So I went over there and opened the front door, her little bell ringing as the door opened. "Annabeth dear, it's so great to see you!" She said, giving me a hug. "How have you been keeping?" I asked her, Smiling at her. "I'm fine, doing well." She said.

"Oh, and I wanted to say congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" She said winking at me. I furrowed my eyebrows. "About what?" I asked, curious. "I heard you were going out with that rich young man. He's so sweet and helpful. I needed help to paint the outside of the shop and he did it all for me." She said.

"And where did you hear we were dating?" I asked. "Please! Linda told me her son in laws cousin came round for dinner and told them they had seen you eating dinner at some fancy restaurant! It's the talk of Montauk!"mShe said, happily.

I forced a smile and said, "We're not dating, just friends." She smirked and said, "Okay, sure." I gave her a wave and left the store.

I walked down the street and past the little shops that were there. I went into the bakery that was run by this elderly man. He was very sweet. I went in to say heels to him, as I hadn't seen him since I stopped working at the decor shop. I went to the back kitchen and popped my head in. Sure enough, there he was taking a new loaf of bread out the oven. "Anabeth!" He said, noticing me.

He gave me a little hug and brought me through to the front. We talked a bit and he also brought up the subject of me 'dating' Percy. "He wa actually by here a couple minutes ago. He said he was going for a nice walk on the beach." I thanked him and left the shop, walking towards the beach.

I walked along the beach, one of the only people there, and spotted Percy standing on the shoreline and looking at the sea. "Percy!" I exclaimed as he became a couple meters away. "Annabeth! It's so lovely to see you again." He said, smiling non chalantly at me.

I stood it in front of him and said, "We aren't dating!" He shrugged. "I didn't say anything, but I didn't object to it." I groaned, rubbing my temple. "Annabeth, chill." He said, holding my wrists and making me look at him. "It doesn't matter, it's just a story."

I sighed and nodded. "Just relax, look at the beautiful sunset." He said. I looked out at the flaming ball of fire slowly creeping near to the water. He stood behind me, putting his arms over mine and lacing our fingers. "Almost feels like summer." He said, into my neck.

I felt my guard slipping, letting him hold me in his arms. He didn't say anything, but I felt like he said a thousand words. And my brain and body felt like answering in a million ways. I was torn now- keep him at a distance and keep business relationship or have him close and mess with my work plans for his project.

I looked up at him, making the mistake of looking into his eyes. He looked down at me, his eyes drifting from my eyes to my lips and back again. He slowly leaned down and I looked up.

As our lips touched, I felt like we were back on the ranch and enjoying the summer. Not worrying about any deadlines. I kissed him back, our lips moving slowly in sync. He pulled away and looked down at me. "Please Annabeth, I've fallen hard for you. And I don't think I'm gonna get back up. I love you." He said.

I looked down and tried thinking about this. I quickly brought my guard back up, not falling under him. I slid out his warm arms and stood in front of him. I looked at him, trying to think if something to say. My heart was screaming at me and telling me to give him a chance but the reality was telling me how this probably wouldn't last with him being wealthy and all.

"Percy, I am really busy right now and can't cope with a relationship. And we are involved in a project that I need to focus on. I'm sorry." I said. I sighed as he looked down at his hands. "Okay." Was all he said. It was one word, but it had so much emotion in the way he said it. He said it like he was being told he was diagnosed with some disease or whatever.

"I'll see you around." I said, then nodded and walked towards the car park. I felt my throat become sore and close up every step I walked away. When I drove home I didn't say anything, didn't turn on the radio or anything. And when I got home I just had dinner, had a shower and went to bed.

~ Line Break ~

I was relaxing on my couch, on a Saturday afternoon, and the rain was pouring outside. I was in my sweats, socks, a long sleeve t shirt and my hair in a plait down my back. I had a cup of coffee in my hands as I looked out my glass walls that showed the city that never slept.

I heard my doorbell ring, so put my mug down and got up. I went and unlocked the door and opened it. Standing there was Percy with a bouquet of flowers and a pizza. I laughed and leaned against the door frame.

"Rich boy desperate?" I asked, smiling at him. He smiled back and said, "Exactly." I let him in and closed the door behind him. He put the pizza down and gave me the flowers. "For you." He said, smiling at me. I chuckled and put them in a vase.

He walked around, studying the penthouse. "Pretty cool place you got." He said, looking at some of my pictures on the wall. I got out two plates and put them on the island counter next to the pizza. He joined me in the kitchen again. I opened one of the cupboards and reached up to get the glasses.

I closed the cupboard and put down the glasses. "What you wanna drink?" I asked him. He shrugged. "I don't mind, whatever." I got out some lemonade and pured us each a glass. I opened the box of pizza, seeing my favorite four seasons pizza, and put a slice on my plate. He did the same and closed the box.

He took his plate and glass and we went to my lounge. We sat down and started eating. "How was our week?" He asked, taking a bite of his pizza. I shrugged. "Not too bad, was actually not stressful." He nodded. It had been a well since I had let him on the beach. Neither of us brought it up.

When we finished eating, we put the plates in the dishwasher and then sat back down in the lounge. We were sitting on the same couch, facing each other. I had my legs crossed on the couch and he had turned his body to look at me.

"So how's the building?" I asked. He nodded. "Doing well. And I've moved into my new apartment. So everything is ready. Just about three months to waste now." He said. I smiled and watched as his fingers tapped against his leg. "Annabeth?" He asked, bringing my attention back to him.

"I know what you said, and I respect that. But I'm not giving up on you." He said. I chuckled and said, "I think I figured that out." We both laughed. He smiled at me, and we kept our eye contact.

"Annabeth, I would give you anything to be with me. So I could relive summer everyday." He said, his voice as honest as ever. I gave him a little smile. "Percy, I don't want your money. I just want your understanding. To understand I'm not ready to commit just yet."

He sighed, yet again, and rubbed his brow. "I'm sorry, I just-" he thought for his words, then said, "It's hard to explain, yet it is so simple." I gave him a little smile. "Wanting someone to love you back but they aren't able to love back." I said.

He nodded. "Percy, I really do want to be with you. Just not right now." I explained, taking his hands. He looked down, so I cupped his cheek and lifted his head to look at me. "I will tell you as soon as I'm ready." He gave me a smile and I felt a little happier, seeing his hope back.

It was hard to discuss, how far I could only take us at this stage due to work. He checked his watch and sighed. "Well it's three, so I'll leave you to your peace and quiet." He said, smiling at me.

We both stood and went to the front door. I leaned against the doorframe as he stood just outside my door. Although we both wanted to be with each other, I knew and he knew that I wanted to keep this just as close friends for now.

"Well I guess I'll be going." He said, smiling. I gave him a hug and he returned it. He was going to pull away but I said, "Wait." I gave him one last squeeze then pulled away. "Thank you for having put up with my busy schedule and rejection." I said, smiling at him. He chuckled, his deep voice making me feel all tingly. "Bye." He said, kissed my cheek, then walked down the corridor. I closed the door and leaned against it. I bit my lip, telling myself that what I was doing was right.


	12. Chapter 12

Chp 12

I got out my car and went inside my dad's fancy house out of the city. "Hey Lauren." I said, greeting the financial advisor in her office. "Hi Percy. Your father is out on the green." She said, smiling at me. I thanked her and went to the back where we had a really big green.

My dad didn't play golf usually, but he knew how to play when clients who were golf fans came around. Him and his 'allies', who were just his friends who knew about all the stock market and stuff like him, were having a glass of whiskey each as they chatted on the green.

"Perseus!" My dad said, smiling at me. I gave him a hug and greeted the six mean who I couldn't remember the names of. "How have you been? Progress on the building?" He asked. The guy who he hired to kind of be a waiter handed me a glass of bourbon.

I held it in my hand, deciding if I really needed to have it. I shrugged and left it for now. "It's good, but still not doing much for the next two months." I said. I took a sip of the drink and looked out across the field.

"What is it you do again? Study fish or something?" One if his friends asked, thinking hard. "I'm a marine biologist." I said, giving him a smile. "Thought you would follow in your fathers footsteps." Another said.

"No, Percy doesn't like sitting in one place or dealing with numbers." My dad said, smiling at me. I was so glad when my dad was happy with me nor doing what he did. "So Percy, I was eating at this Italian restaurant the other night and saw you there with a, uh, lady friend." His friend who was quite friendly said. I'm sure his name was Bill or something.

I chuckled and said, "Yeah." My dad smiled at me. "I thought you were still dating that Brazilian model." He said, taking another sip of his drink. "That lasted a couple days, I broke up with her though." I said, shrugging. "Why?" The same guy who had asked what I did again asked.

"She was too plastic, her life just evolved around beauty stuff." I explained, thinking to how her room always smelt of perfume. "And what makes this girl different? She looked very pretty, model worthy." Bill said.

I smiled imagining her. "That's the thing. She's different. She doesn't have some clothing line or models in Spain or whatever. She's just down to earth." I said. My dad studied my face.

"What's she like?" He asked. "Oh gosh, I don't know how to explain her. She's beautiful, she's care free, she is kind and sweet, understanding. She's a million other things I can't explain." I said, smiling.

Bill nudged me. "Why didn't you bring your lady friend along then?" He asked. I sighed. "She's busy with work. Also isn't big on expensive things. Actually the first thing she said to me was that I'm a rich boy." I said, laughing as I remembered the moment eight years back.

"So she doesn't like you for your money?" One of dad's friends asked. "That's all my past two ex wives wanted." He said, laughing. They all laughed but my dad stayed silent, studying my face. "So what's her name?" Dad asked. "Annabeth Chase."

They all clapped me on the back. "I always wondered when my good pals son would get married. She's already a mistress so you could always propose." A guy said, nudging Bill. I bit my lip. "We actually aren't dating." I said.

He gaped at me. "The handsome Percy Jackson hasn't gotten the girl of his dreams to go out with him yet? That's absurd!" He said. I chuckled and said, "She said she also wants to date me, but she's really busy with her work. Says there are a lot of projects they are doing right now."

I felt my phone buzz as someone called me. I answered it and found out that the boss had arrived now for good and that he wanted a meeting with my team. "I gotta go, the CEO arrived. I'll see you soon though." I said, finishing my drink and giving my dad one last hug. I shook hands with all his friends and then left for the meeting.

Later on I sat in my apartment, my old varsity swim captain jacket on as winter started making the evenings chilly. We were going to be moving in in two months time. And then we could get back to work. I sat watching TV and relaxed after a busy day.


	13. Chapter 13

Chp 13

I walked back from the stables to where my parent and grandfather were on the porch. "I think I'm gonna go to Montauk for a bit." I said, grabbing my keys and phone from the table.

My mom smiled at me and nudged my side. "You seeing Annabeth?" She asked. It was the first time she had brought up Annabeth since I had come here. I gave her a smile and said, "No."

"But you quite liked her? And she likes you?" She asked. I leaned against the rail and thought what to say. "I don't know, it's been five years. And she seems happy with us being friends so leave it." I said, shrugging.

I gave them a wave and left. I drove to Montauk and walked along the beach. I opened up my cabin and opened a beer. This was probably one of he only nice days let till Winter took over.

I walked onto the beach again, looking out at the beautiful water that was gently rolling onto the shore. I looked up, seeing something in the corner of my eye. I saw Annabeth walking towards me, a couple meters away.

"Hey, what you-" I started, but she put her lips to mine. My face was in her hands, and in out my free hand on the small of her back. I felt adrenalin go through me, the thrill of her kissing me. I kissed back, still unsure of why she kissed me but loving it anyways.

She pulled away and looked me in the eyes. "Yes, yes, yes. I'll date you Percy, i want to. I realized how much I do. I love you." She said. I blinked a couple times then kissed her again.

I smiled at her and said, "I love you too." She kissed my cheek and I put my arm around her waist, leading her to my cabin. I got her a drink and asked, "What made you decide?" She sighed. "I was denying it, for such a long time, but I realized that it doesn't get better than this. No one is better than you." She said. I was leaning against the island, her two steps away.

I pulled her hand so she came towards me, and laced our fingers. She put her drink down and smiled at me. I kissed her again, so happy to have her so close. She cupped my cheek and smiled up at me. "Just sorry I took so long."

We walked back onto the beach, the sun going down. I pulled her to my chest, her back on my chest, put my arms over hers and laced our fingers. I kissed her neck and rested my chin on her head. It felt so fit, holding her close like this. It felt like life couldn't get better.

I felt my phone buzz as a message came through. I pulled it out and read it. It was from my mom, asking when I would be getting back or if I had plans. "You wanna go have dinner on the ranch?" I asked her.

"Do they know what happened?" She asked, turning to face me. I shook my head. "No, not really." She thought for a bit then shrugged. "What the hell, we can go have dinner, you can tell your mom or whatever." She said. She put her forehead against mine and closed her eyes, smiling. "I forgot how great this was." She said, making me smile.

I sent my mom a message to do another placing at the table. We closed my cabin and went to my car. I drove us there, and parked in my usual spot. I walked to the porch, Annabeth at my side, and went inside. "Percy, your back. Who was the extra-" she stopped talking when she looked up at saw Annabeth with me.

"Annabeth!" She said, coming over and giving Annabeth a hug. Annabeth laughed and gave her a smile. "It's great to see you, Sally. I missed having you around." She said, smiling.

They talked while I went to go put my keys upstairs. I picked up one of the shirts that I had here that had fallen out the cupboard. I picked it up, folding it neatly. I always kept extra clothes here for when I wanted to spend sometime here.

I went back downstairs and was in time for my mom dishing up for us. Paul and Mark came in, and were happy to see Annabeth. We all had dinner together, enjoying it a lot. We talked, joked, laughed.

When that was over, Paul settled on the porch with a book, mom got her basket to pick some lemons and grand dad sat with his chess board. Annabeth and I walked onto the porch from the house, and grand dad looked up.

"I could never get Percy to play. Do you play, Annabeth?" He asked. She smiled at him. "Matter of fact, I do." She said, walking over and pulling out a chair in front of him. I chuckled and saw my mom walking off on the field to go pick lemons.

I ran after her, and soon caught up just as she had gotten there. "Hello Percy." She said, smiling at me then picking the first one. I walked around the old lemon trees we had, about eight of them. Grand dad had gone through a lemonade phase.

"Mom, I need to tell you something before you ask it." I said, walking around the tree she was working on and picking a lemon. I put it in the basket and she smiled at me. "I know you and Annabeth are together." She said.

I stopped and said, "That was easier than I thought." She chuckled and said, "I always suspected it. Yet you still denied it when we spoke earlier. Why?" She asked. I sighed, knowing I would have to tell her what happened.

"Okay, so when I brought her here and had to leave at the end of vacation, she said she didn't want to get into a long distance relationship but if we ever met up again we could give it a shot." I picked a few more and put them in the basket.

"So when I saw her again I was hoping she would stay true to her word. Anyway, she made me suffer a month and a bit. I even found out she grew up with a guy a know and he and his wife helped set up a date she didn't know of. So basically I looked really desperate, which I was." She laughed and said, "Carry on."

"Every time we spent sometime with each other her answer would go more to a yes. First she said no, then no, than maybe, than she would think about it. So she thought about it, met me on the beach today and said she was sure she wanted to do this." I said, finishing my story. My mom shook her head and smiled at me. "This is the first I'm hearing of this."

I smiled at her and helped picking. "Well, I wasn't sure how to tell you but when I had brought her here, I had thought of what I said before I left for university. That-" I said, "When you met the girl you were sure would be the one for the rest of your life, you would bring her to the ranch. And she would be the first and only one you would ever bring." She said, finishing my sentence.

I nodded and said, "How did you know?" She chuckled and said, "Percy, you are my only child and I'm your mother. I remember these things that my son commits to when he's still young," I laughed and she finished plucking the lemons.

We took a slow walk back. "So you want to marry her some day." Mom said. I nodded. "She's just everything I could ever want. You don't get better than her." I said. She smiled and said, "I'm happy that you've picked a girl like her. She's the only type of person I could imagine you with." I kissed her cheek and we soon got to the porch.

"Check mate." Annabeth said, finishing her game with grand dad. "She's a flipping genius." Grand dad said, having lost his first game ever. We all laughed and relaxed on the beautiful evening.


	14. Chapter 14

Chp 14

Annabeth and I had moved into my apartment together, after dating for seven months. It seems like loving her is being drunk and I haven't been sober for years. She is just amazing. She still makes me weak at the knees whenever I see her, despite the fact I see her every day and night.

And she is the only person I could ever imagine being with for the rest of my life. Which is why I had been trying to pull off the calm and collected guy, whilst I was freaking out inside, as I planned how I would propose.

I wanted it to be the old classic way, as Annabeth doesn't like over done out of this world stuff. I lay on the coach, thinking of the ring in the draw next to my bed. I heard the front door open and close.

Annabeth came in, and gave me a smile. She put down her things, and came over to me. "Hey." She said, giving me a little kiss. She walked back to the kitchen counter a couple meters away. "How was your day?" I asked.

"Good and yours?" She asked. "Good." I said, my self conscious freaking out. Annabeth took her jacket off, hanging it up. I got up and walked over to where she was unpacking our groceries. "What are we doing for supper?" I asked. She shrugged. "I was thinking Chinese take out." She said.

"Cool, I'll order our usual." I said, getting out my phone. I ordered the food and she packed the groceries away. I waited about fifteen more minutes, in that time having put the small box in my back pocket and thinking everything through.

I finally got the courage when I saw her tying her hair up after changing into her short pajama pants and a top. "Annabeth?" I asked, walking toward her. She smiled and turned to me. I was just about to start to kneel, when we heard a phone ringing.

"Sorry, I'll be right back." She said. She went off to answer her phone, but I got the sign that she would be about ten minutes when I heard her say, "Oh hello Helen!" Helen's her step mom.

I lay on the bed, sighing. All my courage had been knocked out and I felt the words mumble in my head. A bit more than ten minutes later she came back. "Sorry, what were you going to ask me." I gave a little laugh. "Sorry, I forgot. Don't worry." She smiled and went to the lounge.

I went to the lounge and sat down next to her. She leaned into my side and kissed my shoulder. "I love you." I said, putting my arm around her waist. "I know." She said, smiling. I chuckled and pulled her closer.

She read a book while I played with her curls. Fifteen minutes passed and I felt that I had waited long enough to ask. I had literally just opened my mouth to speak when the door bell rang. "I'll get it." I said, going to get my wallet on the kitchen counter.

I got some money and payed the delivery guy. We both sat on the couch, joking around with the way I tried to eat rice with the chopsticks. We finished our meals and sat like we had before. Her lying into my side, my arm around her shoulders and her head on my shoulder.

I looked out the big window walls. The city lights were spectacular, as the sky was clear. How come millions of other guys have done this before, and I can't find the courage to? I sighed and tried to think some more.

She moved from under my arm and stood up. "I've been sitting quite a lot today, I think I'll stand for a while." She said, gave me a little smile and walked off. I looked behind me, seeing her standing on the open wooden floor.

I got up and walked slowly up behind her. "The city lights are amazing." She said, her back to me as she looked out the window. I turned her by her waist and she laughed. I kissed her cheek and smiled at her. "I love you, more than you'll ever know." I said.

She smiled and gave me a peck. "Don't worry, I know you love me. And I love you too." I put up my finger, signaling I wasn't done yet. "Which is why I couldn't imagine life without you. I got down on one knee and she covered her mouth with her hands. I saw the corner of her eyes wrinkle as she smiled under her hand and tears bristle at her eyes.

I got out the box and opened it, revealing the three Dara diamond I had chosen it had little diamonds bordering it on a silver ring. "Annabeth Chase, will you marry me?" I asked. "Yes! Yes! A million yes's!" She said, laughing as a tear ran down her face.

I smiled widely and slipped the ring into her finger, happy it was the right size. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a tight hug. I lifted her up a bit, both of us extremely happy. I put her down and she smiled at me.

She slapped my arm and said, "You had me worried due to how agitated you have been these past few weeks. I thought you were gonna break up with me." She said, laughing. I laughed and pulled her close to me. She kissed me, her hands on my cheeks, her smiling into the kiss.

We skyped her parents, and they were super excited about it. We had only ever met about three times but Annabeth said they really liked me. "Congratulations!" They said, Helen clapping excitedly.

We skyped Percys parent on the ranch and broke the news. They were ecstatic about it. "We so have to see you tomorrow!" My mom said, not being able to keep her legs still. Paul laughed and said they would see us in the cafe at Montauk for breakfast.

I opened a bottle of champagne and we each had a glass. "To our engagement." I said, as the toast. We drank it and bounced around happily. When we went to bed, I pulled her into my lap and she kissed me. "Did you expect me to propose?" I asked, smiling at her.

She kissed me again and said, "I had wanted you to but didn't expect you to." She said. She looked at the ring again and said, "This is actually happening." I guess we were both still registering it. We lay down and I slept happily for the first time in a little while.


	15. Chapter 15

Annabeth's POV

I smiled as I saw the beautiful wedding ring on my finger, we had gotten married three months ago, but he had to go do some big assignment in San Francisco afterwards. So it's been two months today.

I looked in the mirror again and saw the small bump again. I had been meaning to tell Percy about the pregnancy a little while after he left, but something stopped me. One, if I told him he might have bailed on his project and come home. Two, he might not want a kid at all.

We had never discussed it, never thought about it. But he is coming home in a couple hours and I won't have to say anything for him to find out soon enough. I sighed, pulling my shirt on and walked back to the couch. I started reading my book but found myself drifting off to sleep having missed some hours of sleep due to work.

"Annabeth?" I heard that soft, deep familiar voice say. I opened my eyes and saw Percy kneeling next to the couch. "Hello Percy." I said, groggily. I sat up and kissed him. "I missed you so much." He said against my lips.

I smiled and pulled away. "Me too." He slid his hand down my arm to my hand and then rested his hands on my waist. I got nervous, hoping he wouldn't notice the little bump. "You don't know much I missed having you around." He said. He stood up and pulled me up with him.

"I guess I'll have to make it up to you." I said, smirking at him. He smirked and pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Yes you will." He said. He picked me up bridal style, making me laugh, and carried me to the bedroom.

I had my back against the wall and him kissing me. It felt so amazing. We somehow got to me sitting in his lap on the bed. He kissed me again, his hands on my thighs. He rubbed his hands up and down my thighs as he leaned forward, so I could lie on my back.

He smiled down at me and was about to kiss me again but I put my hand on his chest. "Wait." I said. He frowned and said, "What's wrong? Don't you like it?" I but my lip. "I do." I said. "Then what's wrong?" He asked, and kissed my jawline again. "Um," I tried thinking straight.

"Percy, listen to me." I said, pulling away from him and sitting up. He sat up as well, looking really confused. I groaned and but my lip again. I squeezed my eyes shut and said, "Percy, I'm pregnant."

I opened my eyes and his expression was blank. He tried saying something but no words came out. "We never talked about having kids." I said. "Since when? How long have you been pregnant?" He asked. "I found out a little bit after you left." I said, sighing.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "And you didn't tell?" He asked. "Percy, I-" I started but he interrupted. "This is one of the most important things in a marriage. We've been married nearly three months and it didn't come up?" He asked. I groaned inwardly. "Don't be mad. It's just." I tried thinking of the words again but lost them a little.

"Okay, I knew that if I told you you would have bailed on your project to come home. Also, I didn't know if you even wanted kids." I explained. He nodded, biting his lip. "Do you?" I asked, nervously.

He was quiet for a moment than smiled widely. "I want a child, our child. Yes, I really do." I smiled widely and laughed a bit with relief. He kissed me again and said against my lips, "Were gonna be parents." We both laughed and went off to go tell my parents. They were really excited, and Helen kept saying how she would be a grandmother.

We decided to surprise Percy's parents by going over there tomorrow. We lay in bed, him with his hand on my stomach. I rolled my eyes and said, "Do you really have to do that?" He chuckled and nodded. I left him and went to sleep.

~ The next day ~

We walked, with our fingers laced, to the porch. The three of them stood up and Sally said, "Percy, Annabeth! How great to see you." I gave them all a hug and we sat down. "Seems like just yesterday you got married." Salish said, smiling, we all chuckled and Paul asked, "How was your project?"

"It was good, went very well. But we're not here to talk about me." Percy said, giving my hand a little squeeze. "Than what are you here for?" Mark asked. I looked at Percy and he said, "Annabeth's pregnant." Sally squealed and Paul and Mark slapped Percy on the back.

"Since when?" Sally asked. Percy looked at me. "Two months. And before you say anything, Percy had been away and I didn't know if he even wanted a child because we hadn't discussed it. So when he got home, I told him and we decided to keep it."

They all congratulated us and they opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate, we opening a fresh box of fruit juice. We gave a toast and then all chatted for a while before we left again. We called up the doctor, and scheduled an ultrasound for a couple days later.

I had already had the first one, this would be my second. We went home again, and Percy made breakfast. I had a couple bites and then found myself running to the bathroom.

I wiped my mouth and walked out the bathroom to see a very nervous a Percy. "Are you okay?" He asked, helping me sit down. I raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Don't worry, just morning sickness." He nodded and asked, "You still want breakfast?"

I managed to hold a bit of breakfast down. We didn't do much that day, just lay around and relaxed. Percy was reading up on what to expect the next couple months. I was so happy we were having this baby.

And it was our first child, me at age twenty five and him at age twenty nine. And we couldn't be happier.


End file.
